Works for me

By CV in National Catholic Register

I’m a cooperator and I try to attend a monthly circle (which is an hour-long discussion led by a female numerary) with other cooperators and a monthly evening of recollection (a couple of meditations led by a priest, ending with Benediction. There’s also an opportunity to go to Confession if you want to). I try to go to a weekend (silent) retreat once a year, which is basically a longer version of the evening of recollection (with more meditations, quiet time for prayer and reading, and daily Mass). I should point out that I’m under no obligation to attend these activities and quite often I am so bogged down with child and work activities that I can’t get my act together to go.

But…I always benefit from the experience, and I grow in my spiritual life, when I DO make the effort to go. It’s basic Catholic stuff…prayer, spiritual talks, opportunities for Confession, encouragement to say the Rosary, etc. I have a chaotic, normal life with my kids and husband and we are fortunate that we belong a great parish led by a wonderful, orthodox pastor. But the guy is simply too busy to give his parishioners the kind of reflective spiritual direction that is available through my local OD study center (I guess I am lucky that we have one in my city. Not every city does).

Opus Dei provides regular opportunities for me to cultivate habits (prayer, more-than-once-a-week Mass, spiritual reading) that help me grow in my faith and hopefully be a better wife, mother, daughter, worker, etc. I’m inclined to be lazy and disorganized when it comes to building these crucial activities into my life on my own and that’s the God’s honest truth. So I’m happy those opportunities are made available to me on a regular basis. I NEED ongoing formation, period. And I think it’s important to note that I have never experienced any pressure to attend. When I show up they are happy to see me and I’m never criticized for how long it’s been since I last attended. And the only time they ask me for money is once a year, a couple of sentences in the context of an annual one page newsletter around December. I’ve worked in marketing and fundraising for years and frankly I think they might be a little TOO reserved when it comes to asking for donations.

In short, the whole experience is fairly low key and more “intellectual” (if I can use that word) that the hugging/group share kind of thing that might appeal to others. My husband and I are both professionals but the Opus Dei people I have encountered really run the gamut in terms of occupations and social class. I know attorneys and college professors as well as store clerks and at-home moms. At the last (social) gathering I went to I remember talking with: a male fast food restaurant manager, a male judge, a female psychiatrist, a female who makes jewelry in her home, and a female speech therapist. Runs the gamut. I certainly wouldn’t describe any of us as “rich.” Truly, anyone and everyone is welcome. I have had friends and family turn down my invitations to check it out because they have preconceptions, have only read about it in The DaVinci Code, fear they’ll be pressured, etc. That’s too bad, in my view.

Regarding the Dragons movie promotion, I was invited to a free prescreening and there was a good deal of positive anticipation among the Opus Dei people I interact with regularly. But it was more a situation in which you were encouraged to share your recommendation with your family and friends to see the movie (if you liked it enough to do so). Again, no pressure…pretty low key. I was offered flyers to pass out at my parish if I wanted to do that. Considering that the other “Catholic” movie opening the week after Dragons is “Priest” (about the priest vampire!) it’s kind of a no-brainer to help promote the better movie if you ask me.

Early in my experience with this organization, when I was still trying to figure out what it was and whether or not I wanted to be part of it, I had the opportunity to talk with an Opus Dei priest (that’s another thing…the OD priests are just extraordinary human beings in the mold of St. Josemaria. No kidding..they are a tremendous gift to the Church). Anyway, this particular priest told me that “joining” Opus Dei itself is not the point of what they do and why they are here. The point is to grow in your Catholic faith to ultimately grow closer to God. Opus Dei is just one path toward that goal. It’s not the only one.

Works for me.

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/simcha-fisher/opus-dei-the-good-the-bad-and-the-albino#ixzz2ef5c048B

Can I Trust Opus Dei?

by Dan Burke in Roman Catholic Spiritual Direction
Q: Dear Dan, I am contemplating a vocation to Opus Dei. For years, I have been hearing a call. I am afraid however, when I read negative info on websites. I feel torn apart. Can you guide me, provide some insight?
A: Dear Friend, your concerns are valid. To set the stage for my comments I need to state that I am not a member or in any way formally or informally affiliated with Opus Dei. However, I have engaged with an Opus Dei priest who wrote the forward for my book Navigating the Interior Life, I have attended one Opus Dei meeting, and I have read quite a bit on Opus Dei, including the web site you reference (though I have not provided the link because I believe the authors of the site are guilty of calumny and detraction). I also have a few good friends who are in some form of relationship with Opus Dei.
Lets take a look at a few of the accusations against Opus Dei.
Corporal Mortification: This is listed on one site as the top bullet point reflecting problematic issues with Opus Dei. Beyond the tactic of putting this item forward first, the complaint about this issue is, on its face, absurd. Why, because they don’t really practice corporal mortification? Actually, no, they do. It is because in the teaching and tradition of the Church, there is nothing wrong with corporal mortification as long as it is undertaken with free will and under the guidance of a spiritual director. So, why all the shouting about it? Simply put, these people reject the traditions of the Church. If you are not familiar with the tradition and practice, Fr. Barron has provided a very helpful video discussing the corporal mortification practiced by Pope John Paul II.
Aggressive Recruitment: Here’s a quote the opponents of Opus Dei offer as problematic, “University residences, universities, publishing houses. . . are these ends? No, and what is the end? . . . to promote in the world the greatest possible number of souls dedicated to God in Opus Dei…”(Founder of Opus Dei, Cronica, v, 1963)”.
The first point is that they deceptively omitted St. Jose Maria Escriva’s name and substituted “Founder of Opus Dei.” Why would they do this? Because it militates against their cause. The founder of Opus Dei is a saint. He has undergone extreme scrutiny and found to be holy enough to be named a saint. Do they reject the Church’s work and decision on this matter? I think the answer is obvious.
Aggressive Recruitment Continued: So, they cite the quote provided above in their opening paragraph outlining the problem of recruitment. Let’s cut to the essence of the quote. They are concerned that St. Escriva is encouraging recruitment of souls to God within the Church approved framework of Opus Dei! Oh the horror! More people to God in a Church approved institution!? This must be stopped! Forgive me, I can’t hold back the sarcasm because this is simply juvenile The Church teaches that all of us are called to this “aggressive recruitment” – it is called “evangelism.” Jesus, in Luke chapter fourteen tells us to, “Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.” Is it ok to make friends with folks in order to “compel” them to “come in”? Is there a better way? Is it problematic to make friends with people to help them to heaven? Are you kidding me?
“Alienation” from Families: The complaints here are simply painful reflections of the normal process of separation from family for those entering religious life. Coupled with the challenges of their suffering, these complaining parents either are not committed to the Church or are ignorant of Church teachings on religious life. I don’t mean to belittle their struggles but the implications are clear.
In the history of the Church, religious are always called out of their families and into the new family of their charisms. Many orders have fallen out of the rigor of this practice as they stray from the parameters established by the Church and their founders. Unfortunately, many modern witnesses of this trend assume that this laxity is the healthy norm when it is not. They then compare the practices of Opus Dei to these wayward organizations and coupled with the pain of losing their children to the work of God, they feel compelled to cry foul. The real foul here is the failure of the traditional orders to maintain their fervency for Christ.
Is Opus Dei Beyond Reproach?
All that said, is Opus Dei a perfect institution beyond reproach of any criticism? No, and no such institution exists. Are they guilty of any of the negative criticism they receive? I am sure they are. Is the problem endemic to the organization? I have not seen it and neither has the Holy See. Thus, the constitutions of the organization are valid and Church approved and supported.
Furthermore, if I claim to be a magisterium faithful Catholic, I need to be supportive of the Holy See and the organizations they approve. Does this mean I cannot be critical? Of course not. However, we need to think with the Church in these matters, not criticize organizations on the basis of practices that are actually approved by the Church. Otherwise, we will find ourselves opposing the Church itself and maybe Christ Himself.
My bottom line conclusion? You should pursue a vocation within Opus Dei with all your heart. Allow the Lord to lead you and enjoy the journey. If you find the charism does not match your call, pursue others with all your heart and enjoy the journey!
I would like to open the comboxes to those of you who have testimonies of good experiences within Opus Dei and other similar organizations that are faithful to the magisterium of the Church. How have they helped you? How have you been blessed by your involvement? I am not interested in reiterations of the calumny, detraction, or gossip. If you have complaints, avoid these grave sins and take your concerns to those who have the proper authority and perspective to address them. Again – positive comments only please.
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Some snippets of the comments:
By mariano3
I am an African a former Numerary in Opus Dei. I had crisis of vocation common when you graduate from University really thinking out what to do in life, a period one need a lot of prayer and direction. My prayer life at this point was tepid, I was away from the centre on compulsory national service, hence not so much accessible for spiritual direction. Besides, looking back I realised I have not been very sincere to my directors over the years to truly understand my situation then to adequately help me. Somehow I lost this great vocation. I asked that I wanted to leave and there was no compulsion to stay the door was wide open for me to leave. The truth is that its easier to leave Opus Dei than to join.
The greatest regret I have today is not being a Numerary. Now I am married happily with two kids, I have just finished praying the three decades of rosary and seeking intercession of Blessed John Paul 2, that God may grant my kids vocation to Opus Dei (my daily prayers) when I came across this post.
If God will give me another life to live on earth, I will be a Numerary 30 times over. I am what I am today from the tremendous formations I have received from Opus Dei free of charge.
---------------
By Macchabee
Opus Dei is a remarkable gift. Some of the people I have met in the discipline are truly remarkable without being sanctimonious. Among them are some of my closest friends. The people I have met are interesting in many ways. Nothing that I ever encountered in its guidance is contrary to the Magisterium of the Church. The Retreats I attended when I could were brilliant in their insights and the availability of the Sacraments was another gift. .
Opus Dei is Catholicism.
I am grateful for the graces I have received under their auspices. So thank you. And fellow Catholics remember Christianity is not a spectator sport. The spectators are seated in the arena watching, while the Christian is in the arena contending for his own soul and the souls of his neighbor.
I respectfully suggest that if someone is doing something good, give them your encouragement. When the culture and media pass on untruths, follow Solzhenitsyn's rule at the very least "Do not participate in the lie."
Read more: http://rcspiritualdirection.com/blog/2013/01/06/can-i-trust-opus-dei#ixzz2eZDWU6Ai
Read more: http://rcspiritualdirection.com/blog/2013/01/06/can-i-trust-opus-dei#ixzz2eZDQcISt

They never pressured me

Part of a comment of Pete Vere in Catholic Lite

I basically showed up on their doorstep, a young Traditionalist journalist who had recently returned to Church, having just been accepted into a canon law licentiate program because of a gentleman who was close to the Work, and was suspicious to know why. I had lots and lots of questions, which they patiently answered.

I attended several activities, and never felt any pressure to join. Some of my friends would visit from my hometown, want to join, and were told they needed to take time to pray and discern, that Opus Dei was a vocation that could not be rushed, that the Church recognized many different paths to sanctity and holiness, and they needed to make sure Opus Dei was a good fit for them. However, I noticed that I was never offered spiritual direction whenever I showed up for recollection, or retreats.

So one day I said to the director: "Am I being singled out because I'm traddy?"

He laughed, and said: "Yes and no. The work is a path to holiness recognized by the Church, but not the only path to holiness that the Church recognizes. The Church also recognizes your involvement with the Ecclesia Dei movement as a path to holiness, you have a good spiritual director back home who is guiding you on this path, and we don't want to interfere with that unless he feels it would help you."

And it was true. My spiritual director back home was an elderly Benedictine moral theologian who often assisted the local Tridentine indult priest. One day Father came to Ottawa to visit me, do theological research, and he quietly wanted to check out Opus Dei since a number of his parishioners had made contact and expressed interest. They invited Father to stay at their residence.

At the end of the weekend, just as he was loading his suitcase in the car to return home, Father turned to the director, pointed at me and said: "Make sure you keep an eye on my Pete while he's down here. He needs some good spiritual direction to keep him focused on his studies when I'm not around. If he gives you any problems, call me."

The director laughed, and after that I was invited to receive spiritual direction. That being said, I never felt called to join, and they never pressured me to.

A remarkable path to Opus Dei: John Paul II and the Shins

By John Allen in Opus Dei

People find their way into Opus Dei in a variety of ways, but within that diversity, Louisa Shins, a Dutch supernumerary, followed one of the more remarkable paths. She was born in the south of Holland, where she attended a school for women looking to do domestic work. She met her husband while at school, and the two were married in 1961. They moved to Italy, where her husband pursued a career as a nuclear techni­cian. They lived about forty miles north of Milan, in a town on Lago Maggiore. They had three children, two boys and a girl, all of whom went to international schools and grew up speaking Dutch, Italian, and French.

When their oldest son turned eighteen, he decided to go to Amster­dam for university studies. After about a year, the son called home and said he had found an international residence that he liked very much, where he could be with young men from Spain, France, and Italy, as well as the Dutch. That residence, it turned out, was operated by Opus Dei. Then their second son headed off to Amsterdam and repeated the pat­tern. After one year he phoned his parents saying he too wanted to move into the Opus Dei residence. Shins said she didn’t know much about Opus Dei at this stage, merely that she had asked a Dutch Benedictine who had given Opus Dei a clean bill of health. After a while, however, she said she noticed changes in her boys, for the better. They didn’t argue with each other, and they seemed more focused, more responsible, more adult. Finally the daughter left for Holland, and she decided not to mess around, moving directly into an Opus Dei residence for university girls.

Not long afterward, the Shinses took a family vacation together in Spain. Louisa said she knew something had changed when one of her children proposed going to a weekday Mass, and the next day another pro­posed saying the rosary. Moreover, Shins said, she began to see changes in her daughter. She smiled more, she seemed content, and was always willing to help out around the house. “What a beautiful thing,” Shins re­calls thinking. At that stage she began attending Opus Dei retreats and get-togethers in Milan, despite having to travel some forty miles over foggy, dangerous roads.

At some point, she said, her children revealed to her that they planned to join Opus Dei as numeraries. She said she cried a bit and did not tell her husband because she didn’t want him to know yet that the children would not be coming home. At this stage, she said, she wasn’t quite sure what to make of Opus Dei, and her husband hadn’t shown any particular interest. Then, out of the blue, in 1987, one of the children phoned and proposed that the following weekend all five of them meet in Rome. Louisa got off work from her teaching job, and her husband, al­ready retired, was ready to go. When they met in Rome, two of the chil­dren took Louisa and her husband sightseeing, but the third said he needed to stay by the phone, because he had to call someone every hour. Shins thought that a bit odd, but didn’t make much of it. When they got back, the son announced: “Tomorrow we’re going to Mass with the pope.” Louisa said she didn’t sleep well that night with excitement, but wasn’t worried ... she had told the hotel manager that if they didn’t wake her at 4:00 A.M., she wouldn’t pay the bill.

The family went to the private Mass, and afterward everyone lined up to meet John Paul II. A Vatican aide told them they could make a bit of chitchat, so Louisa’s husband decided to ask a question out of professional interest. “Holy Father,” he asked, “what do you think of nuclear power?” It probably wasn’t the usual postliturgical fare, but John Paul was unfazed. “Research is always for the good,” he said. “We have to do a great deal of research. If something is clean and affordable, then it’s a good thing.” Her husband, Louisa said, was content with the response.

Then it was her turn, and Louisa decided to “pop the question.” Pointing to her children, she said: “Holy Father, we have three children in Opus Dei, and we don’t know much about it. We’ve heard some people with different opinions, some positive, some negative. Tell me what you think, because yours is the only opinion that really counts for me.” The pope looked at her and said, “These are your children?” Louisa said yes, and the pope turned and began speaking with the three of them. He chat­ted for a few moments, obviously developing a positive impression, then returned to Louisa and her husband.

Looking at the parents directly, the pope smiled and said: “And you’re not yet members?”

It was all downhill from there.

As a footnote, the next day the Shin family was in an audience with Bishop Alvaro del Portillo, the prelate of Opus Dei. Again, they were told they could ask a question, and so her husband decided this would be the ultimate test. Addressing himself to Portillo, he asked: “Father, what do you think of nuclear energy?” When Portillo responded with virtually the same words that John Paul II had used, Shins decided that Opus Dei was good enough for him. He and Louisa became supernumeraries shortly thereafter.

Experience of recruitment in Opus Dei

By Austin Ruse in Catholic Light (Not Catholic Lite). September 6, 2009 8:23 PM. This is the last post in a series of posts on how recruitment is done in Opus Dei and in the Legion of Christ.

I am a Supernumerary in Opus Dei. Here is how it happened. Over the course of years I attended spiritual direction with Opus Dei members, attended evenings of recolletion and cooperator circles and all this and no one ever asked me to join!

Finally, after many years of this, I was having a drink with a Supernumerary who was and is a very good friend and i said this to him, "Pat, I have been hanging out with you Opus Dei guys for years and years and not once have any of you asked me to join. Is there something wrong with me?"

He almost spit out his drink laughing and said, "Consider yourself asked."

These are the high-pressure tactics I experienced!

Best to all!

Austin

My son was invited to work in an Opus Dei school in the South Brox

By Ridgerunner at Catholic Answers Forum

While my son was a freshman in law school, he was invited to work for the summer in an Opus Dei school in the South Bronx.

Well, the South Bronx is a far cry from Murray Hill. The purpose of the school was to tutor young black and Latino toughs in some academic subjects, athletics and lessons on character. I have no idea how they recruit the students; with the parents perhaps. I suspect some are told by the juvenile office to go, or else.

The living conditions were spartan, and the neighborhood where the kids came from and where the staff lived, was beyond awful. The kids were tough and street-smart. The "teachers" were expected to set a no-nonsense example of what it is to be a man...but a man of character. They first had some intensive schooling themselves. Some of the kids washed out. Some expressed to my son at the end how it had made a difference in their lives, including one kid who had tried to rough him up during athletics and learned he had made a mistake.

Kids who successfully completed the program were allowed to then attend, for free, a school in New York, run by Opus Dei, the academic excellence of which is beyond question. "Crotona" I think is the name of it.

Every once in awhile, the "teachers" were invited to Murray Hill. They were served an excellent but sparing meal in the dining room there, then repaired to a very nice lounge where various Opus Dei members would expound on various topics; religion, business, the law, physics, government...everything imaginable, and all from first-hand experience. Some of their credentials were incredible. He met the guy who designed the chapel at Murray Hill; a very accomplished architect named Henry Menzies. You can google his website. Those "discussion sessions" are a regular feature of life at Murray Hill, and my son felt privileged to be able to even be at them. The people he met were anything but removed from the "real world".

My son admired the people in the various levels of participation. Never did he feel anybody was being coerced into anything. Never did he feel he, himself was being coerced or bamboozled into becoming a member. But he knew from the beginning that this was a life that required a lot.

At the end, he could understand how people would do it. He likened it to being a Marine in a way. You could get there, but it would take every bit of effort you had. The Marines want particular sorts, and are unashamed in that. So, I guess, does Opus Dei. You really have to want to do it in order to do it. Some people don't. Some people think they do, then figure out that they don't.

At my son's graduation, one of his close friends' sisters, a very accomplished and wonderful young lady, mentioned that she was going to join Opus Dei shortly. After talking to her a bit, I could picture her making it. She explained to me how she had an interest in perhaps working in a school Opus Dei operates for young black women, where they're taught to be professional caterers, hoteliers and accomplished chefs. Not the worst project anyone could think of.

That's it. Everything I know about it is second hand. But one can't say anything bad about Opus Dei to my son without challenge.